Located on Route de Namur in the Belgian province of Liege, the historic Château de Moxhe sits just over a 4 hour’s drive from Untergrombach, Germany – where the Meerapfel Cigar Factory was first established in 1876 by Meir Meerapfel. Almost a full 150 years later, at an exclusive media dinner party hosted at the Château, Meir’s legacy was honored with the unveiling of a new Master Blend bearing his name. The Master Blend Series by Meerapfel pays tribute to each generation of the family, beginning with the recently released Richard, profiled here on Cigar Public in July. Based on preliminary artwork, the next Master Blends currently planned appear to be Heller and Ernest, whose amazing stories I look forward to profiling for you in the near future.
The Meir is described as the result of the genesis spirit with which he lived and passed on through the generations. His ultimate desire was to provide a new life for his family, and though he couldn’t be certain at the time that it would all work out, his respect for tradition and dedication to excellence would be the catalyst for every success earned by what has remained a family operation for nearly a century and a half. As with all of their storied offerings, only 613 chests of each Meir vitola will be made available each year – and only at retail partners they’ve selected personally.
As with the “Richard” Master Blend, the “Meir” will be presented in ornate caskets showcasing 10 Double Robusto cigars (5.75 x 52) at a suggested retail price of $86 per cigar. Additionally, wooden chests each holding 25 cigars of the following “UberTraditional” vitolas will be introduced: Robusto (4 ⅞ x 50; SRP: $42 per cigar); Churchill (7 x 47, SRP: $50.00 per cigar; Pyramid (6 ⅛ x 52, SRP: $57.00 per cigar). These will be available at Meerapfel approved retail partners later this year.
Those present at the castle that evening were also treated to a presentation of what is being referred to as a “Creation Unique” – a term they’ve reserved for very special projects meeting a very specific criteria. Not much has been disclosed beyond Jeremiah Meerapfel personally delivering the latest Creation Unique to a close client who was present as guest at the event. All that they’ll share right now is that each of these projects is specifically conceptualized for one client at a time, personally tailored by Jeremiah himself, and debuts at a minimum allocation value of 1.25 million dollars…annually.
“Unique people wish for unique products” states Meerapfel. “The Cigar must be as unique as his Master. It is important I understand and respect the soul and heart of the individual the ‘Creation Unique’ will reflect. It is the only way I can capture the essence of the person and immortalize this energy through the sacred leaf.”
The Meir will also be shown to attendees at this week’s InterTabac conference in Dortmund, Germany.